Obituaries
Keiiti Aki, earth sciences professor emeritus, 75
Keiiti Aki, 75, a leading
seismologist of his era, died May 17 on La Réunion island in the Indian
Ocean. In a career spanning a half-century, Aki published more than 200
papers and books and coauthored the important text, Quantitative
Seismology. Among many honors, he was a member of the U.S. National
Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences.
Aki was best known for his concept of the “seismic moment,” which he
developed as a way to measure the size of earthquakes. Sometimes called
an Aki moment, the seismic moment is a measure of the energy released
during an earthquake.
In 1984, Aki came to USC College, where he was the W.M. Keck Foundation
Chair of Geological Sciences until his retirement in 2000. In 1991, Aki
led the creation of the Southern California Earthquake Center and
served as its director until 1996.
Ward Edwards, 77, professor of
psychology emeritus, who pioneered the field of behavioral decision
research and received USC’s Distinguished Emeritus Award, died Feb. 1.
Edwards was an authority on statistical decision analysis and
behavioral decision research. He retired from USC in 1995 after a
career that also included serving as director of the Social Science
Research Institute from 1973 to 1995 and teaching at Harvard, Johns
Hopkins and the University of Michigan.
Dorothy Fisher Soule, 81,
research professor of marine biology emeritus, died March 5. She was
actively researching the phylum Bryozoa until one week before her
death. Although retired, she remained curator of Bryozoa at USC and
served as director of the Harbors Environmental Projects.
Esther Klages (Ph.D., Philosophy, ’43), 100, a retired educator and church mission worker, died Dec. 13, 2004.
Henry A. Antosiewicz, 79,
professor of mathematics emeritus died Dec. 3, 2004. Antosiewicz was
chair of the College mathematics department for many years during the
1970s. He was selected as the USC Outstanding Educator of 1973 in
recognition of his distinguished service to education and the community.
Allan Perham Casson, 72,
professor of English emeritus, died April 1. Casson was known
nationally for his work to improve the quality of education for high
school students and teachers. Casson specialized in English literature
from the 19th century and the Renaissance. At USC from 1960 to 1987, he
taught 35 different courses.
Laurence “Larry” G. Thompson,
80, professor of East Asian languages and cultures emeritus, died July
10 in Ventura. Born in China, Thompson pioneered the study of Chinese
religion and wrote many of the texts fundamental to the field. A USC
faculty member from 1965 to 1986, he was twice chair of East Asian
languages and cultures and the first director of the College’s East
Asian Studies Center.
Gibson Reaves, 81, an emeritus
professor of physics and astronomy, died April 8. Reaves specialized in
extragalactic research, showing for the first time that dwarf
(underluminous) galaxies are the most abundant kind of galaxy in the
universe. For the past decade, Reaves studied the Hirayama families of
asteroids and the history of astronomy, including Leonardo da Vinci’s
drawings of the surface of the moon. He received the USC Associates
Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1974.
Robert T. Bobilin (Ph.D.,
Philosophy, ’60), 80, founding director of the Institute for Peace at
the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and chair of that university’s
department of religion, died Dec. 22, 2004. He was an ordained
Methodist minister and authored the book Revolution from Below:
Buddhist and Christian Movement for Economic Justice.
California-based physician Merle Hunter Boyce, 78, a USC alumnus, died Jan. 21. attended USC in the 1950s and again in 1961 and 1975. He majored in zoology.
Chester Clarence Chang, 26, son
of alumnus Chester Chang Sr. (M.S., ’87), was shot and killed by an
unknown assailant in Los Angeles on May 7. Chang Sr., a longtime USC
supporter, is director of the Western-Pacific Region of the Federal
Aviation Administration and a collector of Korean art.
Martin L. Gecht (B.A., Zoology,
’41), 84, died Jan. 4. Gecht practiced medicine for more than 50 years,
was a real-estate developer who built hotels in downtown Chicago,
headed the boards of three banks in Chicago, and was an art collector.
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